Latest news with #ChildBereavementUK
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Prince William opens up about 'the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure' as he attends private dinner for charity connected to Princess Diana
The Prince of Wales has opened up about grief, describing it as 'the very worst pain' a person 'will ever endure'. Prince William was a teenager when he lost his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and has been the royal patron of Child Bereavement UK for 16 years. The charity works to support children, young adults, parents and families dealing with grief and continuing with their lives after the loss of a loved one. At a private dinner hosted by the organisation to celebrate its 30th anniversary on Tuesday, the 42-year-old addressed attendees, sharing a glimpse into his own experience with grief. 'Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected,' he said. In 1997, when William was just 15, he had to endure his own grief following the loss of his mother to a car crash in Paris as the world watched on. He spoke of the Child Bereavement UK merger with fellow charity Winston's Wish, calling the move a 'bold step'. 'I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact,' the royal said. 'They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause.' This isn't the first time the Prince has spoken about his own grief. Back in February, William visited Child Bereavement UK's facility in Widnes, the organisation's busiest service, where he met and spoke with young people being supported by the charity as well as volunteers, staff and supporters. Speaking with 17-year-old Rebecca, who suddenly lost her father, he said: 'Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel.' 'It's crucial in those first few years, particularly, that you have support like gets you in a practice to know how to help yourself going forward.' 'The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn't it? It's very difficult to do school and normal life.' During the visit, William appeared visibly moved as he greeted young children supported by the charity. Rebecca said she felt he 'really understood' what they were going through because 'he's been in the same situation, around our age as well'. One child told the prince she stopped going to school after the death of her grandmother. 'The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn't it? It's very difficult to be able to do school and normal life,' William responded. A source said of the visit that it would be 'incredibly emotive and powerful', adding: 'The Prince is keen to shine a light on the important work the charity does day in, day out to support families at the most difficult time of their lives.' When he became patron of the charity, William, who was following in Diana's footsteps as its figurehead, said he wanted to 'continue my mother's commitment to a charity which is very dear to me'. He added: 'What my mother recognised back then - and what I understand now - is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Prince William Opens Up About 'the Worst Pain Any Child or Parent Will Ever Endure' in New Statement
Prince William got candid about grief in a new statement, calling it 'the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" The Prince of Wales is a patron of Child Bereavement UK, which was founded in part by a friend of his late mother, Princess Diana Diana died in a car accident in August 1997, when William was just 15 and his brother, Prince Harry, was 12 Prince William is lending his voice to a longstanding charity after their big announcement. The Prince of Wales, 42, got candid about grief in a statement shared to announce the merging of two bereavement charities: Child Bereavement U.K. and Winston's Wish. "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given to help rebuild the lives of those affected,' Prince William said in his statement. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement U.K., I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss.' "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement U.K. and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact,' he continued. 'They have recognized that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." Prince William lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a car accident on Aug. 31, 1997. He was just 15 years old at the time, and his brother, Prince Harry, was just 12. Prince William has been a patron of Child Bereavement U.K. since 2009 and will remain on following the merger. The organization was founded in part by a close friend of Princess Diana, Julia Samuel, who praised William's ongoing dedication to the charity. "He has deep empathy – that really comes across – which is why people feel better for meeting him,' she said of the father of three and heir to the throne. "He has the genuineness that Diana had. They can see it in his face and hear it in his voice. He is warm, but very direct, just as she was." Prince William has often spoken about how his late mother inspired him to give back to those in need. In October 2024, he released a two-part documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which followed the Prince of Wales in the first year of his Homewards initiative, a five-year project announced in June 2023 with the mission of making homelessness 'rare, brief and unrepeated.' In the doc, Prince William recalls Princess Diana taking him and Prince Harry to The Passage, which works to end homelessness and help those in need, when they were young boys. 'I must have been about 11, I think probably at the time. Maybe 10,' he shared. 'I'd never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit anxious as to what to expect. My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone. I remember at the time kind of thinking, 'Well, if everyone's not got a home, they're all going to be really sad.' But it was incredible how happy an environment it was.' 'I remember having some good conversations just playing chess and chatting, and that's when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do. When you're quite small, you don't really — you just think life is what you see in front of you. You don't really have the concept to look elsewhere. And it's when you meet people, like I did then, who put a different perspective in your head and say, like, 'I was in the street last night.' And you're like, 'Whoa,' you know. It's like — I remember that happening,' William added. Read the original article on People
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Will describes grief as 'very worst pain'
The Prince of Wales has described grief as "the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" as he backed the merger of two leading child bereavement charities. Child Bereavement UK, of which William is patron, is to join forces with Winston's Wish, it was announced on Wednesday. William, whose mother Diana, Princess of Wales died when he was 15, said there was a growing need for support for bereaved youngsters and praised the charities for taking the "bold step". He will remain patron of the new organisation which retains the name Child Bereavement UK. William said: "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss. "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact. "They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." William privately gave a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. The charity was founded in 1994 by Diana's close friend, the psychotherapist Julia Samuel, who is godmother to Prince George. She has remained close to both William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex. Winston's Wish was founded in 1992 after clinical psychologist Julie Stokes visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and, inspired by the services she saw, returned to the UK and set up Winston's Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire. The charities said uniting their missions when demand for services is growing would help them increase their reach and support more grieving people when they need it the most. As the merger progresses, both organisations will continue to deliver their respective services, with beneficiaries and stakeholders able to access support and other services as usual, the charities said. The Prince of Wales has described grief as "the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" as he backed the merger of two leading child bereavement charities. Child Bereavement UK, of which William is patron, is to join forces with Winston's Wish, it was announced on Wednesday. William, whose mother Diana, Princess of Wales died when he was 15, said there was a growing need for support for bereaved youngsters and praised the charities for taking the "bold step". He will remain patron of the new organisation which retains the name Child Bereavement UK. William said: "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss. "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact. "They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." William privately gave a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. The charity was founded in 1994 by Diana's close friend, the psychotherapist Julia Samuel, who is godmother to Prince George. She has remained close to both William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex. Winston's Wish was founded in 1992 after clinical psychologist Julie Stokes visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and, inspired by the services she saw, returned to the UK and set up Winston's Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire. The charities said uniting their missions when demand for services is growing would help them increase their reach and support more grieving people when they need it the most. As the merger progresses, both organisations will continue to deliver their respective services, with beneficiaries and stakeholders able to access support and other services as usual, the charities said. The Prince of Wales has described grief as "the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" as he backed the merger of two leading child bereavement charities. Child Bereavement UK, of which William is patron, is to join forces with Winston's Wish, it was announced on Wednesday. William, whose mother Diana, Princess of Wales died when he was 15, said there was a growing need for support for bereaved youngsters and praised the charities for taking the "bold step". He will remain patron of the new organisation which retains the name Child Bereavement UK. William said: "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss. "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact. "They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." William privately gave a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. The charity was founded in 1994 by Diana's close friend, the psychotherapist Julia Samuel, who is godmother to Prince George. She has remained close to both William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex. Winston's Wish was founded in 1992 after clinical psychologist Julie Stokes visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and, inspired by the services she saw, returned to the UK and set up Winston's Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire. The charities said uniting their missions when demand for services is growing would help them increase their reach and support more grieving people when they need it the most. As the merger progresses, both organisations will continue to deliver their respective services, with beneficiaries and stakeholders able to access support and other services as usual, the charities said. The Prince of Wales has described grief as "the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" as he backed the merger of two leading child bereavement charities. Child Bereavement UK, of which William is patron, is to join forces with Winston's Wish, it was announced on Wednesday. William, whose mother Diana, Princess of Wales died when he was 15, said there was a growing need for support for bereaved youngsters and praised the charities for taking the "bold step". He will remain patron of the new organisation which retains the name Child Bereavement UK. William said: "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss. "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact. "They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." William privately gave a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. The charity was founded in 1994 by Diana's close friend, the psychotherapist Julia Samuel, who is godmother to Prince George. She has remained close to both William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex. Winston's Wish was founded in 1992 after clinical psychologist Julie Stokes visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and, inspired by the services she saw, returned to the UK and set up Winston's Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire. The charities said uniting their missions when demand for services is growing would help them increase their reach and support more grieving people when they need it the most. As the merger progresses, both organisations will continue to deliver their respective services, with beneficiaries and stakeholders able to access support and other services as usual, the charities said.
Times
14-05-2025
- General
- Times
Grief is the worst pain a child can endure, says Prince William
The Prince of Wales has said that 'grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure' as he warned of the 'long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause'. In a statement to announce the merger of two child bereavement charities, Prince William, whose mother Princess Diana died when he was 15 years old and his brother Prince Harry was 12, said that he had seen a 'growing need for support of this kind'. On Tuesday, the prince privately hosted a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle. The charity, of which William is patron, has joined forces with Winston's Wish, which has been supporting children and young adults through grief since 1992. In a statement, the prince said:
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Will describes grief as 'very worst pain'
The Prince of Wales has described grief as "the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure" as he backed the merger of two leading child bereavement charities. Child Bereavement UK, of which William is patron, is to join forces with Winston's Wish, it was announced on Wednesday. William, whose mother Diana, Princess of Wales died when he was 15, said there was a growing need for support for bereaved youngsters and praised the charities for taking the "bold step". He will remain patron of the new organisation which retains the name Child Bereavement UK. William said: "Grief is the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure, and while we cannot prevent these losses, we can ensure that every possible type of expert support and care is given, to help rebuild the lives of those affected. "In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK, I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss. "I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston's Wish are joining forces to expand their impact. "They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause." William privately gave a 30th anniversary dinner for Child Bereavement UK at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. The charity was founded in 1994 by Diana's close friend, the psychotherapist Julia Samuel, who is godmother to Prince George. She has remained close to both William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex. Winston's Wish was founded in 1992 after clinical psychologist Julie Stokes visited the US and Canada on a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship and, inspired by the services she saw, returned to the UK and set up Winston's Wish, initially to help bereaved children in Gloucestershire. The charities said uniting their missions when demand for services is growing would help them increase their reach and support more grieving people when they need it the most. As the merger progresses, both organisations will continue to deliver their respective services, with beneficiaries and stakeholders able to access support and other services as usual, the charities said.
